


Childish Deja Vu

by LozFanXV



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Fluff and Angst, Multi, Protective Lup, Son of the Starblaster, Trans Taako (The Adventure Zone), angus is taako and kravitz's child, eighth bird Angus, half-drow Kravitz, reclaimer Angus, sun elf Taako, taakitz baby!angus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-04-06 17:57:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14062299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LozFanXV/pseuds/LozFanXV
Summary: There are three things in life that Angus knows by heart.First is that Angus is an elf in a town of humans.Second is that he is adopted.Third, he works hard to be the world’s greatest detective so he can find his birth parents.So when he's offered a job as a reclaimer by the B.O.B, he accepts in a heartbeat. So now he has a bracer and an apparent sentient umbrastaff. What nobody saw coming was his budding friendship with the basekeeper named Justin. A sun elf who remembers nothing from his past, not even his name.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus's life is filled with being lonely, maybe these guys can help?

There are three things in life that Angus Mcdonald knows by heart.

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First, he is an elf in a town of humans. This doesn’t bother him much, as many of the human children go to him to ask about anything elvish related and who’s Angus to stop humans from learning about other cultures? This has helped him learn all about their culture and language. Sure he has faced some discrimination, especially from the elderly, but it doesn’t deter him from learning.

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Second, he’s adopted. This was not hard to deduce, considering his Grandpa has told him the story of how he got Angus ever since he could walk.

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“I hear a knock on the front door, so I go an’ open it to find a little basket right smack dab in front of my door. I check the basket, and there you were. Just some small little babe whimpering in the basket while clutching a letter, with sharp ears and everything. Now could you brin’ me my medicine, boy?” Grandpa would say when he’s lucid.

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Lastly, he works hard to be the world’s greatest detective so he can find his birth parents. Searching around for clues about who they can or could be. While it’s easy having a letter that has both of their last names on it, Angus quickly realizes that’s not enough. So he keeps an eye and ear out for more clues. He writes down his physical traits. He finds himself to be good with cooking and piano, so he writes that down. He jots down any hints about the last names from the letter. Any clue helps at this point, as his hope to find them grows smaller and smaller.

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Soon, he decides to take up a job as a detective to leave the small town he’s been in his whole life, to make a name for himself, and to improve his skills in sleuthing and magic. Traveling far and wide, he tries his hardest to keep his hope up.

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His newest lead has him going all the way to Rockport to board a train to find the one who’s been murdering rich passengers and stealing their riches. It was supposed to be a simple job, this killer messier than any others he’s tracked down. Then two men boarded the train and made it a whole lot harder.

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One of them is a dwarven cleric. The first time they talked he tried to convince Angus about Pan. He tries to scare the dwarf off by saying that his father didn’t want him to learn about pagan gods. (A total lie, he doesn’t even know what his father believed in.) But that only causes the dwarf to become even pushier, and now Angus has a pamphlet and the dwarven cleric with flowers in his beard looks so pleased.

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The other one is a human fighter. He has huge sideburns on his face and strangely enough is wearing a bright red umbrella strapped to his back. His first time meeting him has the man tell the dwarf that Angus is some bad guy after he tells them he’s going to Neverwinter to see his grandfather. (Not a lie sadly, his grandfather had to be taken to a hospital there for his deteriorating health.) 

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So he questioned them to the police in his enchanted notebook, only to get a response back that they’re not who they say they are. So once they leave one of the pleasure rooms, he once again meets up with them.

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Except instead of letting him explain himself to them once he reveals the truth, they instead decide to play monkey in the middle with his notebook. 

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“It’s monkey in the middle!” The dwarven cleric says as he catches the book.

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“I know what its called!” He says.

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Finally, he convinces them both to hand him his book and join him in his sleeper car. There they learn about his job as the world’s greatest detective, with the human fighter rolling his eyes.

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“Okay, but I was able to detect my way out of your horseshit,” Angus says.

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And then a giant crab attacks them, and he joins the two in the fight against it after taking the juicy wizard out of the train compartment. It took a while until finally the crab was killed.

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“Wait, you know magic?” The cleric says.

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“Yes, sir, being a detective is a dangerous job,” Angus says.

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They soon figure out it was Jenkins, and Angus learns the duo’s names are Magnus and Merle. They defeat Jenkins, and Angus watches as the umbrella Magnus is wearing turns inside out on its own and sucks up Jenkins’s wand.

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“W-What…?” He says.

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“It’s hard to explain right now, Angus,” Magnus says.

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So they grab Jenkins’s rod and get to the front of the train with Angus using the rod to create a portal to the engineer room. With only a few more minutes until the train crashes, the three of them create a portal to Jenkins’s garden and then jumped off the train. They watch as the train disappears into the portal, a crash and an explosion only known by sound follows. 

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Everyone looks to be in distress, knowing that their valuables were on that train. Even Angus’s precious silverware collection didn’t make it. His grandfather is going to be so mad. 

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Magnus and Merle seem to be having a loud whispering match with each other.

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“What are we supposed to tell the D̵̡͘i̴̷̶͡r̷̴͠͝e͘͢c͢͜͢t̷̢̡͝ơ̧r͏͞?” Magnus says. Angus shakes his head, pretty sure that he heard static, probably just a side effect from tumbling off the train.

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“I don’t know, okay? Probably that the train exploded.” Merle says. 

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At least he figured out who the killer was, but it feels kinda bittersweet. Angus kicks a pebble, watching it sail through the air.

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“Owww, who threw that?” A voice calls out. He gasps, turning to the others to see if they heard the voice as well. Most of the others seem to be heading over to the station, leaving only Angus and the two adventurers behind. He decides to check out the voice, coming across a monocle.

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“Heyyy… heyyy, buddy.” The monocle says. And yep, that thing’s talking.

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“Um...hello.” He says.

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“Hey, buddy put me on.” It says.

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“Why?” Angus says. He can hear a voice calling out to him in fear.

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“Whyyy? Because I can make anything real. And I mean anything.” It says.

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“No thank you.” He says because this thing is starting to unnerve him. He picks it up with the end of his now broken wand, leaving it to dangle in the air.

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“Come on, bud. Don’t you want to see your mom and pop?” It says, and that makes Angus freeze. The thought of seeing what they look like…

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“No thank you, I don’t think they will be happy if I did that.” He says, and the voice fades away. He looks up, finally noticing Magnus and Merle standing in front of him. Merle immediately steps forward and snatches the monocle off of the broken wand, stuffing it in some pouch. Both of them haven’t stopped staring at him.

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“Um…” He says.

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“Did… did you just refuse it?” Magnus says.

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“Well, I didn’t really like it's offer, sir.” He replies back honestly.

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They both share a look.

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He leaves the woman’s room, the Director as he’s told the call her. He now wears a bracer and goes by his parents’ last names. The call from the hospital confirming that his grandpa died in the hospital as the large sphere ascended to the second moon.

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Angus calls it the second moon, but it’s actually a hidden base for people to search some relics to stop another relic war, as he learns happened when he was just a baby. He tried asking them if his parents were in the relic war, and the answer back was to be expected, but still disappointing. “We don’t know.”

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He feels a hand on his shoulder and turns around to see Magnus leaving the room, Merle right behind him closing the door. In his hands is the umbrella, no longer strapped to his back. Angus notices it is almost vibrating in his hands.

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“Heya, Angus, here you go.” He says, holding out the umbrella. While Angus is still just a level one when it comes to magic, even he can sense the energy coming from the object being held out to him.

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“What...is it?” He says. He’s not trying to be rude, but he’s pretty sure that an umbrella should not be radiating magic. Magnus just shrugs.

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“Leon calls it the umbrastaff. Says it’s for wizards to use. And since you’re going to be on our team from now on, I thought you should use it.” He says. 

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Angus politely ignores the grumbling from Merle behind him on the mentioning of joining their group. “Well, that and it started to freak out and jerk to you once you gave a new last name.” He says.

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“Yeah, why did you do that, kid?” Merle says, with crossed arms and a level look at him. Angus goes to grab the umbrastaff as he answers Merle.

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“My grandpa’s in the hospital, sir. So I thought to just use- AH!” He says, dropping the umbrastaff once red lightning comes out of it. They all watch it clatter to the floor, Angus backs away from the staff, only for it to roll towards him.

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“I think it wants you.” Magnus helpfully says. He sighs and tries to pick it up again. It doesn’t give out lightning this time, but it does open and close a few times.

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“Great, I’m going to the cafeteria,” Merle says as he walks away. Magnus makes a move to follow but stops before he does.

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“You want to come with, buddy?” Magnus says. Angus just shakes his head.

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“I want to explore the base, to get to know the layout more. I’ll see you both later.” He says. They both walk away, and Angus is left in the hallway with an umbrella - sorry, umbrastaff.

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It’s when he finds himself walking down a hallway lost when one of the doors opens and a beautiful elf walks out carting cleaning supplies, that the umbrastaff jerks in his hands. Angus is not the world’s greatest detective if he can’t guess that this person is important to the umbrastaff, umbrellas don’t move on their own.

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So Angus walks up to this elf, “Hello.” He says. The elf turns around to face him, with a look of surprise. They have blond hair tied up into a messy bun, with tan skin dotted with freckles here and there. They’re wearing a housekeeping dress uniform and white sneakers. The one thing that Angus is drawn to is a silver chain wrapped around the elf’s neck, but Angus can’t tell what’s on it since it’s tucked under the dress.

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“Heya, boychick, what are you doing talking to little old me?” The elf says. Judging by the voice, Angus deduces that this elf might be male.

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“Sorry, sir, just saw you and felt a sudden pull to introduce myself. And also I’m lost, so if you could help me out that would be nice.” He says. The elf’s eyes give him a scrutinizing glance over his whole body. He starts to absently play with the chain around his neck, pulling whatever’s hanging from hiding under his dress. Hanging on it are two wedding rings, both dark and with what looks to be metal raven feathers on them.

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“Sure, I’ll dig. Call me Justin. How did you get lost, boy-o?” He says, holding out a hand to shake, which Angus gives.

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“I wanted to learn the layout, but wasn’t paying any attention.” He says. Angus wasn’t expecting much, but Justin laughing wasn’t one of them.

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“You wanted to learn the layout, but you weren’t paying attention?” He gets out in between laughter. Angus can feel his face heat up in embarrassment. It takes a while until Justin calms down, wiping tears from his eyes. “Shit, it’s been a while since I laughed. Sure, I’ll help you out. Follow me and tell me where you want to go.” He says. He starts walking away, pushing the cart with him. Angus follows behind.

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“Where to, bubbleah?” Justin says.

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“The cafeteria, sir. My team said they’d be there.” Angus says.

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“Sweet, I definitely know where to take you. Have you tried the food here yet, it’s top notch.” He says, both of his ears perking up.

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“Why do you say that, sir?” He says.

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“Because I make the food. So I better hear only good things from you or else.” Justin says, jokingly. (Or was he serious?) “Now I get to ask a question. Why the fuck did they hire a baby?” He says. Angus is about to comment that he’s not a baby. But stops, and realizes that to elves such as himself, he is a baby. He just reached double digits in age.

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“Well, I didn’t fall under the thrall of the relics. So I think that helps.” He says. Justin whistles, it sounds like an impressed one.

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“Wow, this place must really be desperate to get the relics, huh?” He says. Angus pouts, at least for sure that Justin would be impressed. Justin notices and smirks. “Listen, it’s going to take more than that to impress me, pumpkin. Both me and Davenport can also resist the thrall.” He says like it’s no big deal.

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“Wow, really? Then why don’t they send you down to get the relics with us?” Angus says. Justin falters at pushing the cart but recovers quickly.

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“They don’t really wanna send someone down there who doesn’t remember anything, not even their real name.” He says, voice so low if there was even one more person in the hallway he’s pretty sure he wouldn’t hear Justin. The umbrastaff shakes a little after he says that.

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They continue to walk throughout the hallways, Justin seeming to ignore his statement and just point out different rooms to Angus, who kindly gets the hint and doesn’t bring it up. It’s when they reach two double doors with the sound of a small crowd filtering through them that Justin turns around.

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“And there’s the cafeteria, little man. This is where we part ways, for I have a sucky job to do. If you need me again, just ask someone where ol’ Justin is.” He says. He starts to walk away, but before he turns the corner, he glances back at Angus.

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“Hachi machi, I never got your name,” Justin says. Looking back on it, Angus is surprised, probably was more worried about being lost at his new work than anything else.

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“Sorry, sir, I guess I forgot! My name is Angus Taaco-Macallister.” He says. Justin gives a thumbs up before disappearing around the corner. Angus walks into the cafe, wondering if this new job will help him finally find his parents.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys think I don't have a picture of the rings I just described, you would be [wrong!](https://img.etsystatic.com/il/cf540b/838079406/il_570xN.838079406_kshq.jpg?version=1)
> 
> I really wanted to try this story, so please leave comments and kudos!


	2. Prologue 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonder how this all started? Let's begin! :)

Walking up to the cottage up on the hill, Lup can’t help but smile bitterly as the two suns beat down on her. It looks so calm and peaceful, you wouldn’t know about the tragedy that took place just a month earlier. She ignores the front yard in disarray and instead walks right inside. She’s only been gone for three days, but she still doesn’t miss how the house feels so cold and bleak when Lup is so used to it being filled with warmth and chatter.

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She finally finds him upstairs sitting on the floor in front of the crib. Not moving or saying anything, just blankly staring at the crib where Angus sleeps. Kravitz’s wedding ring is in his hands.

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“Oh, bro.” Is all she says. What else can Lup say? She walks up to him and sits down right beside Taako. “Have you eaten yet?” She says. She was also going to ask if he at least rested, but all it takes is a glance at his under eye circles to get the answer. He just shrugs, the first movement she’s seen from him since she came back.

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“Angus ate, so I’m good,” Taako says. That fucking hurts to hear. Lup looks over to Angus, the tiny little one-month-old that she notices seems to be a lot healthier than her brother right now. She quietly stands up, almost startling her brother from his stupor.

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“Well, I’m not happy about that. You need to eat, Koko, and sleep. Come on.” She says. Lup doesn’t wait for any confirmation from her brother before she picks him up by his arm and drags him out of the nursery, both tiptoeing out of there and close the door. Walking down the stairs, she pushes him to the couch. “Now you are going to sleep, or meditate, or whatever on that couch. And I’m going to the kitchen and whipping up Auntie’s thirty clove chicken for us.” Lup says.

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Taako mutters but does as he’s told and wraps himself up in a blanket, passing out on the couch before his head even hits the pillow. She watches him for a few minutes, then goes into the kitchen. It’s when she’s grabbing the ingredients that she remembers exactly how they got to this point.

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How Taako fell in love and married a half-drow priest of the Raven Queen named Kravitz. How their life seemed perfect living in the cottage, Taako inviting Lup to also move in, which she accepted. Everything was going so well, and then Taako came forward to tell them the big news, the family was about to grow. The next couple of months were chaotic. Then Kravitz told them he wanted to follow his dream and be a composer. Taako gave his full support, while both of them also made jokes about his nerd dream.

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Then Kravitz got a message that something wrong happened in production and that he was needed at the symphony house. So he bid farewell to Lup, kissed Taako on the forehead, and left that night. That’s the last time they ever saw him. After a few days of him not returning, they decided to get a missing person report. The militia found him the day after Angus was born.

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They came into the room just as Lup was pointing out the similarities between Taako and his baby. The expressions on their faces made them both stop smiling, even the baby stopped gurgling. The men stepped forward, and told them they think they found Kravitz, but needed to verify if it is indeed him. Taako agreed, and they pulled out a familiar ring. There’s no way now that is was anybody but Kravitz, they got one-of-a-kind rings. Lup had already felt a stone fall into her stomach, but Taako didn’t get the implications of why they just brought in a ring, nothing else. His eyes lit up, and he told them that it’s Kravitz’s. They both sighed, and that’s probably when Taako realized the news wasn’t going to be good.

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The good news? They found Kravitz. The bad news, he was found sacrificed on an altar, and the ring was brought in because it was the only identifying thing they could find about his body after the necromancers were done with him. And just like that, the perfect life both twins worked hard for, ended. 

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Taako is now going through the savings Kravitz left behind, while Lup searches around for any job that would accept both twins and give them flexible work hours to care for Angus. So far, none have given both. But the one she found recently just might work…

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Movement from the couch out of the corner of her eyes startles Lup from her thoughts, only to watch as Taako climbs up the stairs to a now crying Angus. Glancing back to the oven timer, about twenty minutes, she hurries up the stairs, painfully ignoring the pictures hanging the wall. She walks into the nursery to find Taako feeding Angus.

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“Come downstairs after you’re done.” Is all she says. Lup doesn’t wait for an answer before she heads back downstairs. By the time he finally comes back downstairs, she’s taking the chicken out from the oven. “I made your favorite.” She sing-songs.

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Taako doesn’t even head to the kitchen, but instead, he sits back down on the couch. She sighs but makes two plates of the delicious chicken. Lup walks into the living room, setting his plate down right in front of him. Taako doesn’t make any move to touch it.

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“So I think I found the perfect job for us,” Lup says, shoving a fork piece of chicken in her mouth. His ear flickers, but other than that he shows no other sign that he heard her. She tries to not let that deter her. “They call themselves the Institute of Planar Research and Exploration, or just IPRE for short. Now they sound like a bunch of nerds, and that’s because they are. But they’re planning this bomb ass expedition to send a group of people to space on this silvery ship. And they want all three of us on it.” She says.

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Lup continues on, telling him how the ship runs on bonds. How the institute doesn’t know how the bonds will be between a normal relationship and between a parent and child. By this point, Taako has fully faced her, now looking a little interested. That spurs her on, and Lup then describes how the rooms and kitchen are fully stocked and supplied, how there’s even going to be a tiny playroom for Angus.

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“And it’s going to be safe? Like, the ship’s not going to explode or anything like that?” Taako says. Lup doesn’t miss the fact that he’s not immediately saying no, she tries to hide her excitement.

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“Nope, the ship runs on bonds, remember babe?” She says. Taako seems deep in thought, even going so far as to actually pick up the plate of food. “Oh, but there is a requirement,” Lup says, almost like an afterthought.

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“And what’s that?” He says. Lup didn’t actually think he would be this invested in the job. But hey, she didn’t expect him to actually settle down and have a child either. Now though, she’s not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

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“They need all of their recruits to be in top health.” She says. And with that, Taako’s ears lower further than before as he knows where this is going. “That means you have to eat and actually get rest. You know, to take care of yourself, Koko?” Lup says. He’s playing with the fork, pushing the chicken around on the plate.

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“If I do that… then we could get away from all this dirt?” He mutters. She pats his arm, trying to be comforting.

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“Yeah, bro. They say it’s a good chance we could be accepted.” Lup says. Taako gives a small smile, although it doesn’t reach his eyes. He picks up a piece of chicken with his fork and brings it in his mouth.

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"Let’s fucking do this then.” He says. Lup cheers, but has to stop once she’s reminded of Angus still sleeping upstairs.

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It’s two months later when they get the letter of acceptance. They celebrated by making a pot of gumbo, deciding to donate the leftovers to the local soup kitchen. 

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The press conference went off without a hitch, they went out to celebrate… then Magnus gets into a fight in some seedy bar and which causes Taako to hide Angus with Lucretia.

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Angus is whimpering while they board the Starblaster, and Lup can see him shivering in his tiny red robe. “Hey, is my favorite nephew okay?” She says. Taako looks at her worried, but shrugs and starts to rub his back as the wind picks up.

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“I think he just doesn’t like the cheering. It’s really loud.” He says. And Lup can understand, the cottage was really quiet the first three months. They reach the deck and watch out the windows as they start to leave the plane.

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Then it all went to hell.

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Dark tendrils reach down to the planes as they all watch helplessly. Davenport calls down to the Institute below, with no response. Taako grabs hold of Lup’s hand as the planes get swallowed whole as they leave them behind.

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The feeling of getting pulled apart strand by strand is… strange. You don’t feel anything, it’s like your own body cannot comprehend the fact that you are no longer whole. There are now thousands of you, thousands of your brother, thousands of your nephew, and thousands of your crew. It finally feels like a relief when you're together again.

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Nobody speaks on the ship for a couple of seconds, then the ear-piercing wailing of Angus snaps everyone out of it. Taako and Lup immediately move to comfort him as Magnus asks if the baby’s okay. Glancing out the window, Lup can see the planes right in front of them.

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After a few hours, most of which is to calm down Angus from feeling like being pulled strand by strand, they decide to head back down to their plane. But once they land, they realize something. This is not their plane, this is not their home. And their new life begins as year one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was planning on continuing this story, but for some strange reason, AO3 wouldn't let me say how many chapters there was going to be for the first chapter. So here we go!


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a fun festival that turns sour at the end, the Director is already asking for secrets to be kept from close allies. And yet Justin is divulging more of his secrets to young Angus.

It turns out that there’s a small festival happening on the moon. The Midsummer Solstice, a holiday to celebrate a yearly eclipse. Angus loves this festival, especially since he gets to dress up as Caleb Cleveland, with Magnus and Merle dressed up as a lumberjack and Ursula from The Little Mermaid respectively. Walking around the quad, they meet up with a lot of friends, and Magnus even got some fried unicorn horn and dick. (“Isn’t that illegal, sir?” “Shush, Angus, be cool for like two seconds.”) 

  


It’s like they’re checking out the games that Angus meets up with Justin again. 

  


“Hello, sir!” He says. Justin turns around, he smiles once he sees him. He walks up to Angus, expertly weaving around the crowd.

  


“Jello, D’jango, great to see you,” Justin says. He’s not wearing his uniform this time, instead just some jean shorts and a crop top with his hair worn down in a braid, the only familiar sight on him is the chain necklace with two rings on it.

  


“Nice to see you too, sir. What are you doing here?” He says. Justin rolls his eyes, crossing his arms and scoffing.

  


“I’m not working all the time! I have a life, I’m three-dimensional.” He says, with all the flair he can muster, which is to say, a lot. 

  


The sound of a game vendor cuts through their conversation. Justin smirks to Angus and then heads up to the vendor. Angus, Magnus and Merle watch as he pays the vendor a lot of coins, and then plays the game. It some game where you throw a ball into a hole. They watch as he gets some points, but he misses some as well. Justin gets a small unicorn as a prize. He comes back to the group, unicorn in hand.

  


“And that is how you shut up an annoying vendor, bubbleah.” He says, tossing the unicorn plushie between his hands. Justin then pauses, and stares at the unicorn, and then tosses it to Angus. “Here you go, don’t spend it in one place.” He says.

  


“Wha- sir, why?” Angus says. Magnus and Merle look over his shoulder to see what it is. The unicorn plushie seems like a normal girly item, with a rainbow mane and everything.

  


“Eh, it doesn’t look right to me,” Justin says, shrugging. Angus wants to ask more, because it looks like a typical unicorn, but decides against it. It’s just another Justin-strangeness. 

  


Justin goes off to get some fried food, and Angus feels a tap on his shoulder and turns around to find Magnus leaning down to him to not seem intimidating.

  


“Hey, Angus, who is that guy?” Magnus says. It’s a few moments of confusion until Angus realizes that Magnus never heard Justin’s name in the conversation.

  


“That’s Justin sir, remember? I’ve spent time with him many times, I told you this.” Angus says.

  


Magnus opens his mouth to speak, but Merle beats him to it. “Oh yeah, I’ve seen him around once or twice.” He says. Magnus looks to him offended.

  


“You saw him and didn’t tell me?” He says. Merle just shrugs, fixing the tentacles on his feet. 

  


“I thought he was just a cleaning maid until recently. He never came up to talk to me, so I didn’t bother the kid.” Merle says.

  


“But I never even saw him in the hallways, was he just avoiding me?” Magnus says, and Angus watches as he performs a pretty good puppy dog look. Angus chuckles, hiding it behind his hand in case Magnus is insulted.

  


“Don’t worry sir. He is pretty busy, maybe you just had no luck meeting him.” He says. Magnus seems to think it over, and accepts it if the smile on his face is anything to be believed. 

  


Merle is about to retort when Leon hurries over to them and shoves the glasses in both Merle and Magnus’s hands, being a lot more gentle with Angus. He eyes both men, who seem to be trying to not burst out laughing.

  


“What was that about, sirs?” He says. 

  


“We’ll tell you one day, once you stop being so two-shoes,” Merle says, with Magnus nodding in agreement. He can sense that’s all he’s going to get for an answer, so he accepts it. He puts on his glasses and watches the sky just as the sun and real moon align. There was a beat, and then Angus covers his ringing ears as an ear-piercing shriek fills the air, causing everyone except the three of them to fall unconscious on the ground. 

  


The sky is pitch black, he almost falls back from a sonic blast but must’ve rolled a good save check, because Angus stays upright, along with Magnus and Merle. It sounds like both an orchestra and millions of whispering at the same time are blasting in his ears, and for a brief moment, there are thousands of bright eyes in the air. He stands frozen in shock at the sight and can feel the umbrastaff softly shaking his hands.

  


“What was in that dick you sold me?” Magnus yells out.

  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------  


They’re standing in the Director’s Office, Magnus nursing his cheek after Justin punched him for slapping him awake. Said man is now out of the room, after placing down a plate of food on the Director’s desk and telling Davenport to come get him if she doesn’t eat it. All he got back was an excited “Davenport!” But apparently, that was the answer Justin was looking for if him actually leaving the room is anything to go by.

  


“I- I was incapacitated by whatever happened out there. I need you all to describe to me - what-what happened? Where-- Are we under attack?” The Director says. 

  


Soon, they try to describe what they saw, and it becomes a mess. They all tried to get what they saw into words, but the experience was so terrifying, Angus himself had trouble just speaking. They all got the noise bit down, and then they start to talk about the white eyes they saw in the sky for a few seconds. Angus has a high perspective, a skill of being a detective, and he notices the way the Director flinches once they bring that up. 

  


“Our seekers on the ground have reported back to us and have told us that nobody on the surface of the world saw or heard anything peculiar. So whatever- whatever you saw you were the only ones who saw it. This was not a worldwide phenomenon, it just happened to us up-up here, up on the moon.” The Director says.

  


“It was moonside,” Merle says.

  


“Could this be the work of some kind of evil organization spying on us?” Magnus says.

  


“I don’t know what it was, but I need you to not tell anybody what you’ve told me today. Even inside of the Bureau, until we understand what we’re up against.” The Director says.

  


She continues on, telling them to not even tell their closest friends; Not Killian, not Pringles (Robert), and not even Justin. They all agree and are dismissed from her office after the Director says that’s she’s tired.

  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------  


Justin is opening a door when Angus finally sees him again. His hair is no longer so kept together and the makeup around his eyes is smudged from rubbing. He tiptoes behind him and waits for him to notice. He doesn’t, so Angus takes the initiative.

  


“Hello, sir.” He says. Justin jumps a little and turns to level Angus with an unimpressed stare as he tries to hide his giggles behind his hand.

  


“Not funny, little dude. I almost thought you were... nevermind.” He says with a wave of his hand. Angus almost wants to ask. Justin glances to the left and right of the hallway as if now noticing it is dark and empty.

  


“Wait, what are you still doing up? Aren’t babies supposed to get a shit ton of sleep?” He says. He smirks noticing Angus’s pout at the jab of his age.

  


“I’m not a baby… and I couldn’t sleep, sir.” He confesses.

  


“Oh, yeah, had that happen to me a lot before. You wanna come inside an drink some tea?” Justin says. Angus only has to think for a little bit about the pros and cons before he agrees, walking into the apartment.

  


“Fucking sweet! Welcome, _amin eska naa lle eska,_ I guess.” Justin says, moving to the side to allow him into the apartment. Angus perks up at the elvish in the sentence.

  


“I know what that means, sir! ‘My home is your home’ right?” He says. Justin goes to close the door, only to pause in doing so.

  


“You mean to tell me you can speak elvish? I thought you grew up with humans.” Justin says.

  


“I did, I learned the language from books,” Angus says. He doesn’t hear a response back, but a quiet snort and nerd as Justin shut the door. He looks around the apartment, trying to take in as many details as possible.

  


The room is actually kinda messy, with clothes strewn about here and there, the coffee table in the middle of the room is covered in papers and makeup materials. There’s also a box under the coffee table.

  


“What’s in that box, sir?” Angus says. Justin walks past him, taking his hair out of the braid and letting it loose. He gives a snap of his fingers as if remembering something, and goes to pull the box out. Angus walks up to him as Justin sits down on the ground next to the box. It’s pretty average in size, but well worn out, with one of the sides crushed inwards and everything.

  


“This is pretty special, Mango. In this box, is everything I had on me when Madame Director found me.” Justin says. And if that doesn’t pipe up Angus’s detective side, then nothing will. He opens the box and Angus peers inside.

  


Inside the box is a large flamboyant wizard’s hat, a ripped corner of a picture of Justin with a tropical flower in his hair, some old wand, two wooden carved ducks that both look the same but one has sparkles on it and the other has fire, a book called ‘Uncle John’s Elven Bathroom Reader’, and a notepad with the word dreams written on the cover.

  


“Is this all, sir?” Angus says. Justin scoffs as he unclasps the necklace around his neck.

  


“They didn’t leave a letter for me, pumpkin. Guess you’d have to actually work for it.” He says, placing the necklace and two rings inside the box.

  


“No- that’s not what I… sorry,” Angus says. He looks down at his feet cross-legged on the floor, so he doesn’t notice Justin reach forward and mess up his hair. He stops staring at his feet, perking up again.

  


“Okay, enough with the mysteries now. Now it’s time for tea.” Justin says, getting up off the floor after putting the box away. Angus follows suit, and both walk into the kitchen.

  


If the room they left behind was messy, then the kitchen is immaculate. Shiny granite counters, stainless steel appliances, wooden cabinets and floors. It’s a kitchen a chef would die for. 

  


“First, we need my herb jar. Can you grab it, boychick, while I heat up the water?” He says, pointing to a cabinet. Angus nods and goes to grab the jar as Justin fills up a kettle with water before placing it on the stove.

  


Inside the jar are chamomile flowers, lavender buds, a dried orange peel and rose petals. He places it next to Justin and they both stand there and talk as the water heats to boiling inside the kettle.

  


After the water boils, Justin sets to work pouring out the water and then pouring a spoonful of the herbs into the two teacup’s he’s pulled out from somewhere. 

  


“Do you want any milk or honey?” He says, stirring milk in what Angus has to guess is his own teacup. 

  


“Honey would be nice, sir,” Angus says. Justin hums and squeezes a bear-shaped honey bottle over his teacup. He then carries both out to the messy living room, Angus right behind him. 

  


Justin sits down on the couch, careful with both of his hands carrying tea. Angus sits down right next to him and gets handed his teacup.

  


“Alright, now you gotta spill. What’s keeping you up?” Justin says, taking a sip of tea. Angus stills, forgetting the reason why he’s here in the first place. He takes a sip out of his own teacup and immediately regrets it from the still very hot tea.

  


“Well, I had a nightmare.”

  


“Oh, those are scary.”

  


“There was a lot of blood.”

  


“Okay, that is a little scary…”

  


“And sometimes I can hear bones snapping.”

  


“How the fuck do you know what that sounds like?” Justin asks. 

  


“And then I felt my throat get ripped out and I wake up,” Angus says, staring at his tea. 

  


He can hear a muttered ‘what the fuck?’ and feels a hand placed on his knee. He looks up to see Justin with a disturbed expression on his face, which he tries to hide with a smile.

  


“Hey, pumpkin… how about you sleep on my couch tonight?” He says.

  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------  


He awakens to the sound of something sizzling in the kitchen. He gets up from the couch, yawning and stretching. Angus struggles out of the blanket laid over him. He finally gets up from the couch and sets to work folding up the blanket. Once he finishes that, he goes to the kitchen.

  


Angus walks in to find Justin frying up some bacon on the stove, a plate of pancakes at the side. He seems a lot more put together, and has an apron on that says ‘Mr. Good Looking Is Cooking’.

  


“Good morning, sir,” Angus says. Justin glances at him but then returns his attention back to the bacon in the pan.

  


“Nice to see you’re up, now I can finally use my couch.” He says. He then lifts the pan off the stove and shovels the bacon onto a separate plate.

  


“Right there are yogurt pancakes, I just finished making some bacon. Now, I have to get ready for work in an hour, so don’t stay too long, Ango.” Justin says, walking out of the room while untying the cord from the apron.

  


Angus grabs the plate with three pancakes on them and also grabs the bacon, leaving two behind for Justin. He leaves the apartment, plate in both hands.

  


They are the best pancakes he's ever eaten.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, wonder what "Justin's" stuff all means. Keep a close eye on that notepad by the way. 
> 
> Oh boy, Angus' dreams are harsh. But what do you expect? He was a baby who sometimes watched as his family died in horrible ways, it wouldn't leave that quickly.


	4. Prologue 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We continue on with the past, what more will we learn about our heroes?

After flying over the plane for a week and checking it out, they decide to head down. Lup wants to learn the language of the sentient animals on this plane, and Taako wants Angus to actually be able to leave the ship for some fresh air. Barry wants to join them, apparently for ‘science’. (Taako doesn’t believe him for a second.)

  


They are able to leave the Starblaster and immediately are faced with a problem. None of the animals want to talk with them, or even look at them. It’s almost a lost cause until Taako lets Angus sit on the mossy floor as he discusses what to do with Lup and Barry.

  


Angus’s giggles get his attention, and he looks away from whatever Lup and Barry are talking about to see a little baby mongoose sniffing and licking him. Taako freezes and slowly waves his hand to gain the attention of the other two, who both pause and stare as well.

  


“Holy shit,” Lup mutters. So they gave the baby mongoose some food, and soon are able to interact with the family of mongeese. The mongeese family seem to latch onto Barry and Angus more than the twins. It’s adorable with Angus, especially since he’s starting to babble sounds similar to the language here. For Barry, it’s hilarious since he’s afraid of them at first.

  


But during this time on the plane, Taako notices Angus is growing up. He’s been able to not only babble but Taako has found him also pulling himself up to standing with help from furniture. The teething month was hard, thankfully he was at the age where he could eat cold applesauce and yogurt. 

  


While all this is happening, Magnus stays with Lucretia as she stays on the ship, both Merle and Davenport went and found the light of creation. It helps that it fell into right where they needed to go, so Magnus could go fight a giant fucking power bear. So they get brought to court, and Taako has to translate for them. And if they think he’s not going to use this to his advantage, then they have never met him.

  


“We’re called, Taakos. We’re a different species.” He says. 

  


They seem to accept it, and the conversation carries on. If only Magnus didn’t decide to fight the bears here. Thankfully, Lup’s holding onto Angus, and she doesn’t even have to move as he flips the bear over his shoulder. That got the power bear’s respect.

  


So for the next few months, they got to explore more of this plane as Magnus trained with the power bear, apparently doing a pretty good job. When they are finally invited back to the court, Angus is able to walk, as evidenced by him walking between Taako and Lup as they hold his hands.

  


They almost have the light, it’s right there as the three big animals talk and argue among themselves about if they can get the light. And then the hunger came, it came and started to devour everything. He didn’t hesitate, all Taako knows is that Lup, Angus and he are here, and they need to leave **now.**

  


One second Taako’s standing there, watching as a dark tendril crashes into the building and shadowy beings are pouring out, the next he finds himself running to the ship with Angus held in one of his arms as his other is being used holding Lup’s hand, Barry right beside them. Lup’s firing fireballs at the shadowy beings behind them as the Starblaster comes into view.

  


They get on just as all the others beside Magnus are in. He feels the ship start to fly away, Lup goes to beg Cap’n’port to go back and get Magnus as Taako tries and fails to calm down a crying Angus.

  


Taako can see out the window as they pass through the barrier of realities, and that’s when he can feel himself shifting to a new position, still holding onto his baby. That’s how he finds himself staring out the window, holding onto Lup’s hand, with Magnus there and sporting a black eye. 

  


He feels Angus shifting in his arms, but he feels… smaller. Taako looks down at his baby, and gasps, drawing Lup’s attention. Because no longer is he holding a tiny one-year-old, but Angus has changed right back into a three-month-old. 

  


“Holy shit,” Lup says.

  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------  


The next cycle is in a world filled with flowers, no trees, no humans or animals, just flowers. Taako and Lup take care of Angus, who enjoys playing with the flowers. They couldn’t find the light of creation in time, and all watch as the world below them is consumed by the hunger. They reset, and Angus is a three-month-old again.

  


By the fourth cycle, Taako lets Barry help with caring for Angus. (He sets the rule for no necromancy though, and Barry looks offended that he even tells him.) The world is full of flying fish and bubbles in the air. Sometimes if Taako and Lup are too busy or tired to care for Angus, they’ll pass him off to Barry. They couldn’t find the light of creation, and this world is consumed. 

  


By the next cycle, he trusts in Davenport and Lucretia enough to leave Angus on the ship with them as he heads off the explore this world. The world is covered in water, and the only living things in it are fish, giant trees that can float on the water, and humans who live in or near the trees.

  


Lup wipes at imaginary tears from her eyes. “Our ancestors would be so happy.” She says. They find the light of creation in this world, somehow the thing landed in a tree thankfully.

  


By then, Angus has chosen his favorite toy from the playroom, a tiny stuffed mongoose. He doesn’t cry as loudly when he’s teething. And he can only sleep when he’s wrapped in a dark black blanket that reminds Taako of raven feathers. (A gift to him from Kravitz and one of the few things, other than the wedding rings around his neck, that Taako brought on the ship that was from him.)

  


By the seventh cycle, Taako trust in Magnus to care for Angus. It was a complete accident that earned his trust too. Don’t get him wrong, Magnus seems like a boy who has his heart in the right place, but he acts like a child sometimes. And why would Taako let his baby be watched over by a child? Turns out Magnus has his uses. 

  


This cycle, the Starblaster crew found themselves in a world run by a giant bird that wears a crown on its head. Other than the one city and surrounding small towns, the rest of the world is covered in dense forests. They find the light early on, so the rest of the year is spent relatively peacefully. By the time Angus is walking, Taako lets him play around the Starblaster that’s landed in the small clearing, a rarity in such a dense forest. 

  


Then he hears Merle call his name around the corner, and Taako reasons that it might just be a few seconds. So he goes and answers, turns out Merle wants him to check out the flower that’s he’s been caring for a year. Taako quickly says great and hurries back, only to find the clearing empty. The rest of the crew pitched in and help him try to find Angus, who apparently in a few seconds managed to get pretty far.

  


They manage to find him, in the hands of some necromancer as he pages through his book. While Taako is trying to figure out a plan, which is quite difficult with his son freaking out and crying in the dude’s arm, Magnus doesn’t hesitate. He marches right up to the necromancer, rips Angus out of his arms, and proceeds to kill the man with a punch to the face. The rest of the crew just stare in silence as Angus stops crying and immediately brightens up and hugs Magnus.

  


Taako’s the first of the crew to break out of their stupor and run up to Magnus, plucking Angus out of his arms and smothering him. Lup comes out and ruffles his hair.

  


“Mags… that was fucking stupid.” Taako says. He hands Angus off to Lup, kissing his forehead.

  


“Yeah, but it worked.” He argues.

  


“It worked, but it was still fucking stupid.” He says. Taako takes a good look around the area they found themselves in, making sure to discreetly kick the necromancer’s body.

  


“What was this fool even planning?” Taako says. All eyes turn towards Davenport when he gives a fake cough, who is now holding the book the necromancer was paging through.

  


“It says here, apparently this man was going to sacrifice Angus to… the Raven Queen.” He says. Taako can’t help it, he burst out laughing, with Lup joining not that much later. All the others are left confused until the twins have calmed down.

  


“Man, would she have hated that.” He says.

  


“Why?” Magnus says.

  


“She hates necromancy. This would’ve pissed her off.” Lup says.

  


“How do you know that?” Merle says. Lup gives Taako a look, one that he has come to learn to mean ‘we can just back out and never speak of this.’ But he actually finds himself willing to spill.

  


“My husband, Kravitz, he was a priest of the Raven Queen. You kinda learn something when you hear it a lot.” Taako says. 

  


Nobody says anything, well, other than Angus who’s babbling and saying a few words as Lup dazzles him with a few cantrips. He notices how Lucretia wrote the whole exchange down up until the silence. Taako is starting to worry, so he decides to get the hell out of there.

  


“Whelp, I’m tuckered out from all this woodsy adventure, I say we head back and eat some grub.” He says, and picking up Angus from Lup’s hands, starts to walk towards where they came from.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, here we are! This chapter was a lot of fun to write, so I hope you guys like it.
> 
> For those curious, since Angus starts these cycles as a three-month-old, by the end, he would be a year and three months old. And that's a lot of growth for a baby to go through.
> 
> I found inspiration for Kravitz's blanket gift [ here!](https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/509142641/gothic-black-crushed-velvet-queen-throw?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=gothic%20blanket&ref=sr_gallery-1-4)


	5. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After coming back from some huge race, Justin is upset to learn how the three reclaimers eat their food on the trips, causing him to try and teach them.

The three reclaimers didn’t expect that much when they came up to the base in the sphere. Even Angus learned to not expect much. He doesn’t even feel like he deserves it anyways, they failed to save Hurley and Sloane from an untimely death.

 

So imagine their shock when once the sphere opens, they are met with a thunderous applause. Magnus and Merle seem just as surprised as he is, so at least Angus is not alone in that regard. Avi comes up to them and tells them that the base watched on and saw how they won the battle wagon race. 

 

“Oh! That’s right! The Director wants to see you as quick as you possibly can in her chambers. She needs to dispose of the relic.” Avi says.

 

So they go and deliver the sash to the Director, who then proceeds to destroy it with the lead ball that Davenport brought in. It’s a fantastic show, but Angus is already starting to get used to it.

 

The Director asks what happened in Captain Bain’s office, and they talk about what they see. Then Magnus brings up the robed guy who saved them, and she freaks out. Asking what he said and such. Magnus brings up how he told them to be scared and they would remember fear. The Director reminds them that the red robes created the grand relics, and how the red robes should be dead.

 

They continue talking, Madame Director warns them to stay away from any red robes, including people coincidentally dressed up in a red robe. They accept and are soon told about a promotion. Specifically that they are going to be the only reclaimers in the bureau.

 

“You three are the only ones who can resist the thralls of the relics, and are currently not incapacitated.” The Director says.

 

They are pretty excited, mostly because they can get an upgrade in their apartment, so no more sharing the same room. They celebrated in the room as the Director tries not to sneeze. 

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Justin is doing dishes when Angus finds him. There are just baking pans though, no plates or silverware to be seen. Justin has his back to him, so he walks to his side, not wanting to scare him again.

 

“Hello, sir.” He says. Justin hums in response but seems deadly focused on the pan he’s scrubbing. The room is in silence except for the sounds of rushing water and scrubbing. It’s a while before he’s finished with the few pans left. Once he’s finished, he turns off the faucet and dries off his hands.

 

Turning to Angus, Justin’s expression is neutral. “I watched the race, boy-o.” He says, voice unnaturally quiet. Angus starts to get worried until the neutral expression melts away to a smile. “And it was amazing.” He says. Angus smiles back, but his eyes won’t leave the floor.

 

“You liked it, sir?” He says.

 

“Oh, I loved it. I mean, I knew you could do magic, but not enough to summon a silver unicorn with a weird hat to save that short dwarf… what was his name, Merle?” At this point, Justin’s eyes seem to light up the more they talk.

 

“I named the unicorn Belac, he also likes to solve mysteries, that’s why he has a fantasy Holmes hat.” 

 

“...you’re such a nerd,” Justin says. Angus can’t help himself, he sticks his tongue at the elf. Surprisingly, Justin gives one right back. He’s so shocked that an adult actually gave one back, that he has no control over the laugh bubbling from his throat out into the open, it echoing in the room.

 

Justin snickers then starts to untie the apron he’s wearing. (A pretty nice one, white with pockets and a saying on it, I Cook as Good as I Look.) 

 

“I gotta say, little dude if I could do even a little bit of that magic you showed in that race, my life would be a lot easier.” He says. The umbrastaff gives a tiny shake in Angus’s hands but otherwise stays still. It’s been doing that a lot the past couple of weeks. 

 

Whenever Justin, the M-Bros (That’s what Magnus and Merle call themselves) or Angus say something, it would give some sign like shaking or flapping, sometimes even lighting up. Thankfully, it seems to be calming down now. Probably it’s getting used to everything, or maybe it’s giving up.

 

“You don’t know any magic, sir?” Angus says. Justin huffs as he hangs up his apron.

 

“Not anymore, I guess. I tried asking the Director if she knew, but she said was probably not. Heh, she’s probably right, I can’t even cast a mage hand if I need to.” He says. Angus shrugs, and together with Justin walks out of the kitchen.

 

“I did practice a lot for a long time, sir. Maybe that’s what you can try.” He says. Justin snorts.

 

“Sure…” He says. Angus is kinda impressed by the sarcasm in his voice. They walk together, Justin humming a song he’s never heard before while Angus tries to make sure not to drag the umbrastaff on the floor.

 

“I’m glad to be back on the base. I missed the food.” Angus says. Justin tries to keep his face neutral, but Angus can see the way his ears perk up in happiness.

 

“Oh yeah, I thought that Goofus squad you travel with packs up food for the trip.” He says.

 

“They… do. They like to make their own food, sir.” Angus says. Justin raises a well-manicured eyebrow at him, so he knows he has to expand on that. “It’s just, don’t get me wrong I like that they try, but the food doesn’t taste good. Magnus likes to pack peeled bananas and peaches, but they sit inside this hot backpack for a while so by the time we eat they are rotten. Plus, he likes to make beef jerky, but all he does is cover the beef with salt and then put them in the oven.” Angus says he can hear Justin mutter ‘So much sodium…’ at that.

 

“Well, what about the short one?” He says.

 

“He likes to make salads, but once we have to eat they’re soggy and gross. Most of the time he only packs a cheese wheel and crackers.” He says. Justin stops walking in the hallway, the horror is clear on his face, with wide eyes and his ears flatten and back.

 

“Sir…?” Angus says.

 

“Bring them to the kitchen,” Justin says, before turning around and walking back from where they came.

 

“What, why?” He says.

 

“Just do it!”

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Angus finds himself back in the kitchen, this time with Magnus and Merle there. All three of them are wearing aprons and chef hats. Merle is grumbling while trying to adjust his apron, while Magnus actually seems pretty excited. Justin is standing in front of them, back in his personalized apron and chef’s hat (which Magnus played keep away with, only stopping once Justin quit jumping). In his hand is a wooden stirring spoon.

 

“So why are we here again?” Merle says.

 

“You’re here because a little birdie has told me how fucking awful your food on your missions are,” Justin says. Both Magnus and Merle share a look before glancing at Angus.

 

“Nope, you don’t get to do that. After what I have heard, I’m close to complaining and I never even seen it!” Justin says. “Magnus…”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“If you’re going to take fruit down there, make sure it’s fruit that doesn’t rot quickly! And for fuck's sake, beef jerky needs more seasoning than salt!” Justin says. Magnus is trying not to laugh, but Merle doesn’t even bother, his laugh echoes through the room.

 

“Oh, you think that’s funny, dude? Let me tell you something, you don’t pack a salad for a long trip and expect it to still taste good after it’s been stored in a hot backpack. That’s common fucking knowledge.” He says. And that is how Magnus fails and starts laughing.

 

Justin smirks and brings up a burlap sack. He unties the top, and it opens to reveal food, food for adventurers. “I’ll start off with basics for you three bozos, here we have an adventurer’s food rations. I made sure to take you three into account for what we will be making.” He says.

 

Angus’s mouth starts to water at the food laid out in front of them. There’s drumsticks, a loaf of bread with herbs on them, a few wheels of seasoned cheese, three slices of bread with brown swirls on them, and some packets of sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

 

“I’m gonna teach you guys how to make these so well that I’ll find you three in this kitchen making them in your fucking sleep. Any questions? No? Then let’s start!” Justin says.

 

What Angus soon learns about Justin, is that he takes mentoring cooking to an extreme. Always finding something wrong with what you cooked or how you cooked it. It turns out that Angus holds knives wrong- “Do you wanna lose fingers? That’s how you lose fingers!”- Magnus has problems when it comes to measuring ingredients- “That’s way too much salt! Do you have a thing about it? I won’t judge… yeah, I will actually.”- And Merle… Merle makes it obvious that he doesn’t care if the obvious questions that he asks make it obvious. 

 

“I was planning on topping this off with mistletoe and nightshade. What do you think?” Merle says.

 

“I think I need to call the Director for the future murder that happens. I thought you were a follower of Pan? Aren’t you supposed to be good with this plant shit?” Justin says, hands on his hips.

 

Both Magnus and Angus watch this unfurl as they sit at the counter, both having found stools to sit on. They were eating the food they cooked. While Justin was scowling, it became obvious that Merle thinks it’s just a silly argument if the smile on his face is anything to go by.

 

“Okay, okay. You’re right kiddo.”

 

“Damn right I am.”

 

It’s only when they stop and turn to the two sitting at the counter eating. Merle smiles and asks if it tastes good, while Justin’s ear lower in embarrassment. He’s quick to shake it off, or at least hide it better. He goes to the large fridge in the corner of the room and pulls out three covered plates.

 

“While you guys made me feel like pulling out my beautiful hair, I did have a lot of fun cooking with you three.” He sets two of the plates in front of Magnus and Merle but places the third plate in between Angus and him.

 

Merle and Magnus uncover theirs to discover it is slices of cake, covered in white frosting and black sugar flowers. 

 

“Wow.”

 

“Cool! Where did you get this?” Magnus says, already digging a fork into his cake slice.

 

“We used to have a seeker here. He wanted to test out cake flavorings for his upcoming wedding so he came to me… I went to him forget ceremony.” Justin says. Both Magnus and Merle share an expression of horror, much to Angus’s confusion. He hears an obvious fake cough come from across him and jolts to attention. The plate between them is uncovered, to reveal… honeycombs still dripping with honey.

 

“Ta-da!” Justin says. He grabs one off the plate, and Angus watches as he takes a bite, smiling as honey drips down his chin. “Aren’t you gonna take a bite, Agnes?” He says. He shakily reaches forward and picks one up. He slowly brings it to his mouth and bites down.

 

The rush of flavors hits Angus first, then comes the sweetness, it reminds him a little of lollipops, but better. The best part is that while the honeycomb is crunchy, it’s still soft enough for him to chew on with no problems. Angus brightens up and lets out a ‘mhmm’ as Justin grins.

 

“First time trying it, huh?” Justin says. Angus nods, still chewing on the honeycomb. Magnus sneaks one and takes a bite, but starts gagging as he tries to not spit it out. Merle starts pointing and laughing at him, and even Justin laughs with him, Angus can’t for the honeycomb in his mouth. It takes a while before Magnus can speak again.

 

“Why… do you guys eat that?” He says.

 

“Um, because it’s fucking delicious?” Justin says with Angus nodding.

 

“It tastes like waxy honey,” Magnus says. The room is silent, save for the crunches of Angus finishing his honeycomb. And then it explodes in laughter, even Magnus joining in on his poor word choice.

 

“No shit it tastes like waxy honey!” Justin says. They continue to talk, the plates of food soon cleaned and put away. 

 

Turns out, the reason Justin gave Angus and him honeycombs is because elven children cannot eat processed sugar or else it’ll affect their body and cause them to become sick. Both Magnus and Merle promise not to put any sugars into the food that they pack for their missions. Something that Angus thanks them for. They leave the kitchen, them walking down one way while Justin walks down the other.

 

“That was fun, sirs,” Angus says.

 

“Sure is, wish the kid would lighten up a few,” Merle grumbles.

 

“Aw, he just cares a lot about cooking. I had a blast!” Magnus says.

 

They get back to their room and change into their pajamas, Robert already asleep in the bottom bunk. Merle goes to lay in the other bottom bunk, leaving Magnus and Angus to climb up onto their respective top bunks. 

 

Angus sadly never learned how to meditate, so all he can do is sleep and hope he gets enough to get through the next day. He places the umbrastaff to hang on one of the bedposts and gets under the covers. It takes a while before Angus falls asleep to dreams of cooking and static.

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The eight folders are mocking him at this point. It shouldn’t be this hard, Kravitz had read them front and back. EIght bounties, each with a higher death count than the one before. It doesn’t make sense, they all just showed up one day out of the blue. Usually, once they find that a person escapes death even one time, it’s over. He shows up, takes care of the necromancer, and boom, all is done. No, this group has over a hundred deaths total between all eight of them.

 

He decides to reread the reports again. The great thing about the files and reports working under the Raven Queen is the ability they have to change whenever anything happens. Names, ages, and death counts get fixed without Kravitz’s input, which is a time saver when you have to hunt down necromancers or other death defiers.

 

Lucretia Marian - Four Deaths

 

Davenport - One Death

 

Lup Taaco - Twelve Deaths

 

Justin - Five Deaths

Magnus Burnsides - Seventeen Deaths

 

Barry Bluejeans -  Nine Deaths

 

Merle (FUCKING!) Hitower Highchurch - Fifty-Seven Deaths

 

And then there’s the youngest, Angus Taaco-Macallister - Three Deaths

 

He quickly notes the similarities between the last names of Angus and Lup and writes down the question of relations of the two. 

 

Out of all the bounties, the one the Raven Queen is the most likely to pardon would be Angus. Him being the child of the group would help, RQ adores children. Although, if it’s true that he is indeed still an elven child (and the folder says he is,) then it wouldn’t be good for the others in this necromancer group. 

 

Because the Raven Queen loves children, she cannot stand anyone who would bring a child into necromancy. Thankfully, children are easy enough to convince out of necromancy and it’s works. All it takes is one visit in full reaper form and the child would usually change their ways.

 

But that’s the problem, he can’t show up in reaper form if he cannot find the person. And there it is, the reason why he is still reading over the folders instead of hunting them down. He cannot find them, and in the case of Barry Bluejeans, the ones he does find slip right through his fingers. It’s annoying, he finds himself cursing the group whenever he finds the folders updated.

 

And that’s another strange thing about this group, they make him feel emotions. Something he believed he gave up on long ago. It was an overall depressing time in his undead life. His first couple of years working here were filled with him moping and waiting for... something to show up. He remembers being told that his home planar system was destroyed, and him crying and begging her to take his memories so the pain would go away. 

 

He doesn’t remember why he was so upset, it’s actually quite embarrassing now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the huge wait!!! ;m;
> 
> Every time I wanted to work on this, something big in my life came up. So I hope you'll forgive me and enjoy what I was able to churn out.
> 
> EDIT: Got a full-time job, so haven't been able to write as much lately. So here's some more to this chapter for things to come. ;)


	6. Prologue 3: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's cycle fifteen when grief strikes Taako once again.

Taako’s hiding in his room, just watching Angus sleep in his crib. He never thought he’d be back here again. The cycle started out so simple too, with the Light of Creation actually landing right in front of the grounded Starblaster. So the rest of the year was going to be spent in bliss.

 

And suddenly the chain carrying Kravitz and his wedding rings breaks during the fifth month. Which is understandable, given it’s now cycle fifteen, Taako is impressed it even made it this far. The problem is the chain broke while he was crossing a river. All he could do was watch as it floated away with the currents, and Taako could not dive in and try to save it or risk drowning Angus who was in a sling across his torso.

 

He hasn’t left the room in three days and isn’t stupid enough to not understand the worry the others must feel. But the thought of leaving the room and putting on a mask to convince them he’s fine is too much to bear. Angus’s breathing stutters a little, and Taako’s ears perk up to discern if his baby is waking up, but he falls right back to sleep.

 

And with that, Taako is broken out of his reverie and picks out the aching in his legs and back, and oh yeah, he’s curled in a ball right in between his bed and the crib. He slowly picks himself off of the floor, his joints screaming in agony as he does so.

 

Once on his feet, he takes a glance at the room. He stores almost all of Angus’s toys and books in the nursery so this way he has more space for his own stuff. It’s quite messy, with clothes scattered on almost all surfaces available. As his eyes wander the room, they land on something in particular. The standing mirror, something he got from a previous cycle. But it’s not the mirror itself that makes him pause, but what it’s showing him.

 

For a second, Taako believes he stepped back in time to before he even signed for the IPRE. Because they’re still at the beginning of the cycle, his hair yet again like someone cut it with a knife. (He has his bitch of a mother-in-law to thank.) Under eye circles, oily hair, wrinkly clothes. He knows why he’s like this. Because his heart once again suffers as if someone reached inside themselves and stole a part of it.

 

Watching the rings float away, it brought on feelings he long ago thought he never had to go through again. He thought he got over them and moved on to help out and no longer watch his life pass by. But they returned, and with them came habits Taako forced himself to stop. He doesn’t want to get anyone involved, especially Lup. Not when she helped him out from the pit of sorrow he found himself in before and walked with him to where he is now.

 

But what kinda excuse does he has this time for his sorrows? “I watched the rings float away and felt bad” is asking for a lecture from her on how pathetic he’s being. And even though she would be right, he doesn’t want to face that right now.

 

He’s grieving for Kravitz. And it hurts as much as it did before.

  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It only took another day of hiding in the room before Angus gets fidgety and dirty. And well, Taako can kinda admit, a shower sounds nice. The only problem is it means leaving the relative safety of his room and probably having a run in with someone in the crew, considering the fact the bathroom is all the way down the hallway, so he has to pass most of the others’ rooms.

 

Yet, his hair is so greasy the strands are starting to stick out straight, and Angus seems like he’s so close to crying. So he has no choice.

 

He gathers the essentials and after checking the hallways, runs to the bathroom. Thankfully, he doesn’t run into anybody, but he does hear somebody’s door open behind him. He locks the door behind him before whoever it is can stop him. He sighs, only now realizing he was holding his breath.

 

If there’s one room on board the Starblaster Taako loves the most, it’s the kitchen. But the bathroom comes in second. With a large wall to wall shower, and a bathtub with a control panel. If Taako came in here by himself, nothing in this plane would be able to stop him from jumping into the bathtub and making it a mini jacuzzi.

 

But he didn’t come in here alone, as the movement in his arms reminds him. If there’s one rule as a parent he will follow till the day he dies is don’t take a bath with a baby, you never can tell when they choose to spew anything out of their little bodies. And Taako doesn’t want to be sitting in the same body of water with his baby when it happens.

 

So shower it is, and boy will it be something. The first couple of times Taako tried showering together with Angus was filled with screaming and crying from the baby as his little mind could only comprehend the end of the world was happening. Thankfully, he has learned since that shower time is a fun time.

 

Taako sheds both of their clothes with ease. Angus at this point recognizes what’s happening, and actually now appears excited… well as excited as a five-month-old can show. Maybe he now likes showers, or maybe he’s so bored he’s willing to do anything to stop the monotony. Which Taako will admit, kinda his fault.

 

He does know one way to make the shower even more fun. While holding Angus in one arm, he uses his other to search around under the sink until he finds Magnus’s bin of rubber ducks. He grabs one and gives it to Angus, who snatches it and chews on the poor duck.

 

“Okay bubbleah, are you ready to smell good?” He says. All he gets back is some random babble. “Good enough for me.” He says, he turns on the shower and waits before stepping in so he doesn’t get blasted with cold water. It’s only when it’s warm enough does he step in, making sure to cover Angus so he doesn’t freak out. After that is a normal affair of showering until finally, a clean Taako steps out with an equally clean Angus. Drying off and getting dressed is a breeze with little struggle from his baby. After all is done, Taako goes to open the door to go back to his dorm room.

 

Lup is waiting on the other side. Her face betrays no emotion, not even her ears give away anything. Upon seeing her, Angus immediately starts babbling while holding out his hands. She smiles for him, but only for him.

 

“Hey, Lulu, you need to use the bathroom? Whelp, let me just get out of your hair.” Taako says as he tried to walk past her. But she reaches out and grabs his arm, dragging him back into the bathroom and shutting the door behind them. “What the hell, Lup?” He clutches Angus closer to him.

 

“Let’s talk bro.” She says, now smiling to him, but Taako can tell it’s fake.

 

“What, about me taking a shower?” Taako tries to deflect her. Lup drops the smile, so the deflection failed, and she knows he tried it.

 

“Nope, hey, how about we instead talk about the fact that this is the first time I’ve seen you in days.” Her voice takes on more emotion as she continues.

 

“I just… I just wanted a while away from the rest of the crew. Give me a break.” He mutters the last sentence.

 

“A break? No no no no, I gave you four days! That’s enough! Taako, I remember you doing this before and if it is the same I need to know!” She’s yelling now, the sounds echoing off of the walls. The jolt of fear races up his back to his heart, she knows.

 

“Look, it’s not a big deal, alright?”

 

“Yes, it is a big fucking deal! When was the last time you slept?” She full on glaring now, and he can feel his resolve breaking.

 

“I… don’t remember, okay?” He says. Her eyes soften, and Lup starts to calm down, breathing deeply and her shoulders sagging.

 

“Bro, can we at least talk?” She says, and she says it in such a tone of voice that reminds Taako of when they were kids and Lup was scared to wake up whoever was watching them that month, and that’s what breaks him.

 

The rest of their time in the bathroom is spent with them on the floor leaning against the counters, Lup quiet as Taako confesses to her about why he shut himself into his room with only his baby, or _utinu_ as he calls him. He finally gets to the part of why he hasn’t spoken about it to Lup for fear of bothering her is when she explodes.

 

“What?! You thought I was going to be bothered by you grieving?” She says, whisper screaming thanks to a sleeping Angus on Taako’s chest. He shrugs, avoiding her eyes.

 

“I mean I know it’s kinda stupid of me-”

 

“No, it’s not!” Lup cuts him off with another whisper-scream. One of Angus’ ears flickers, but he shows no other sign that the noise bothers him. She huffs and crosses her arms, but it doesn’t take long before she talks again. “Listen, Koko, it’s okay to feel like this. But bro, you need to tell someone if this is happening.” Lup says.

 

He cannot look her in the eyes anymore, and Taako finds himself staring at Angus instead. Lup notices this and leans forward.

 

“Hey… remember what I said when we first saw him all cleaned up?” She says. Taako snorts, trying to not burst into laughter.

 

“‘Hey, it’s a mini-Kravitz!’” He says. Lup softly chuckles, and reaches forward to brush Angus’ cheek, he squirms. Staring down at Angus, Taako can see what she means. Angus got most of his looks from Kravitz, same warm-brown skin color, same ebony hair, and even same nose and lips. If his husband were here, he would’ve gotten onto Kravitz for having damn strong genes, one of the only things Angus seemed to inherit fro Taako during the first month since he was born is the freckles that dot his face and body.

 

“Yeah, I was almost positive his eyes were gonna be the same as Kravitz’s, you know those bright blue eyes that you said remind you of crystals?” She says, smirking at the end knowing how embarrassed he’ll be remembering that. One time he confessed that to Kravitz while drunk off his ass, and Lup never let him forget it.

 

“I still remember the day his eyes were finally developed and he opened them. You ran up to me, with tears in your eyes, I thought for a sec that Angus died in his sleep or something. Then you told me to look at his eyes, and I saw it.” Lup says. Angus stirs again, but this time actually wakes up, drowsily staring up at Taako with the same eyes he shares with him and Lup. Bright green surrounding gold, one of the few things Taako and Lup loved about themselves growing up.

 

“...I’m never going to see him again,” Taako says. He didn’t mean to blurt that out, but Lup has that effect on him, the need to tell her almost anything. It’s a skill she’s learned from the over a hundred years they’ve been together, not counting the IPRE times.

 

“Never going to see who again?” She says. And oh gods, he actually now has to say it out loud, and it feels more real saying it then keeping it in.

 

“Kravitz… I’m never going to see him, Lup. He moved onto the astral plane, that fucking vore cloud ate that up! Even… even if we finally destroy that thing and settle down on some planar system, I won’t see him in the afterlife!” He says, almost screaming. Angus whines, so Taako immediately tries to calm himself down with breathing exercises. Lup is silent, staring at the floor.

 

“I didn’t think of that…” She says. Taako mumbles under his breath, too low for Lup to hear. “What was that, bro?” She says.

 

“I’m forgetting him.” He whispers as if it’s a secret, mostly for him to say, to just get it off his chest. It takes a few seconds for the words to sink in, and during that time Lup finds herself staring at him, just waiting for him to reveal that it’s a prank.

 

“What do you mean you’re forgetting him?” She asks.

 

And her question sends a jolt of panic up his spine. She wasn’t supposed to hear him, he cannot believe that he didn’t keep that to himself, cannot believe he didn’t say it quieter. She’s still staring at him, worry written all over her face. And he can’t do it, he could talk with her about why he stayed in his room for days... but telling her how horrible he is as a husband? No, never, she would be disgusted.

 

“I have to go.” Is all he says, getting up off the ground and briskly walking back to his room, Angus babbling and reaching out behind him for Lup as she calls out his name.

 

Long ago, Taako hated to sleep, because his dreams were filled with Kravitz. Him smiling, holding Taako is such a way that he feels safe in his arms, laughing at Taako’s jokes. How he smelled, how he sounded, how he felt, everything. It would always feel so real. And then Taako would wake up and realize that it was gone. Those days were over and he would never see his husband again.

 

Now, now his dreams are again filled with Kravitz. But things are different this time. Now Kravitz is blurry, now he can barely hear him, now he cannot feel him. Taako would wake up and with a sinking in his stomach know what is going on. He’s forgetting Kravitz.

 

Soon, Angus would finally be able to grow up, and once he does he will, of course, ask about his other dad. And would be disappointed and angry at Taako when he tells him he can’t. Kravitz gave Taako the world, and he has the audacity to start forgetting him.

 

Taako never deserved Kravitz.

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It was only a few hours later that Taako hears a knock at his door. He finishes getting Angus into his pajamas and goes to answer the door. Standing on the other side is Lup and Lucretia.

 

“Uh, hey… what the fuck is going on?” He says. Lup smirks, and Lucretia gives him a nervous smile.

 

“Well, Lucretia here is going to help you with the whole forgetting problem, babe.” She says. Taako stares at his sister, and then slowly moves his gaze to Lucretia.

 

“Explain.” He says, flatly. Lucretia jumps a bit but steels herself quite quickly. She holds out what’s in her arms, and Taako can see it’s a journal. A new journal, his favorite colors too, green and gold.

 

“I brought a new journal with me, so I thought I could write down everything you know about your husband, and would never forget him.” She says. Taako stares at her, then at Lup, then back to her.

 

“You want me… to spill my feelings?” He says. And Lucretia again looks uncomfortable being there. Lup steps forward, putting her hand on Taako’s shoulder before leading him to another part of the room.

 

“Babe, what the fuck?” She whispers. Taako cannot believe he has to spell this out for her.

 

“Lulu, if you think I’m just going to open up and spill all my secrets out to someone, you obviously hit your head coming here or something.” He says. Lup groans, hiding her face in her hands.

 

“Broooooo…”

 

“Yeaaaaahhhh…?”

 

“Hear me out.” She says. He huffs and crosses his arms, but motions for her to continue with a flourish of his hand. Maybe he should be lighter on her, she is his twin after all, but the fact that she thinks he would be okay with spilling his past to anyone angers him a little. Lup glares at him, but the babbling of Angus in the crib stops her from yelling at him.

 

“Koko, Lucretia writes down everything so quickly, and she still has all her journals. You just tell her everything about Krav, and then you won’t fully forget about him.” She says.

 

Taako spares one glance at Lucretia, “And whatever I tell her won’t leave this room?” He says. Both women shake their heads, and oh right, this room is pretty quiet with only them and a baby in it. He breathes in through his nose. “Okay, I’ll tell Angus how I met his other dad. But if Lucretia ‘accidentally’ listens in and writes it all down, I won’t be mad.” He says, putting air quotes around the word accidentally. Both of them don’t argue with him, so it’s a win in Taako’s book. He goes over to Angus’s crib, sitting down on the edge of the bed closest to it.

 

“Hey, Agnes, ready to hear a story?” He says. All Angus does is babble and look around the crib, seemingly ignoring Taako. “Yeah, I know you're excited on the inside, you can’t hide it from me. This is the story of how I met Kravitz, he’s your other father, get used to the name I want you to remember it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, finally got this one out! Let me tell you, a full-time job really sucks all of your time away from you. I typed up so much of this chapter, I had to split it in two! Because I feel like you guys have been waiting so long, so I tried to make this one count. :)
> 
> Utinu - Son
> 
> And for those wondering, yes, grief can come back. It could be caused by minor things like seeing a picture of the lost loved one, or in Taako's case, losing a sentimental item from the loved one.

**Author's Note:**

> I have to give thanks to @chaWOOPa for the inspiration for taakitz baby!angus
> 
> I also have to thank @notcrindy for just being awesome. One of her minor headcanons might show up here, so keep an eye out.
> 
> My tumblr account is [@lozfanxv](https://lozfanxv.tumblr.com/)


End file.
